Dennis Canavan's powerful speech at the Scottish independence rally discussed how he believes Westminster is completely out of touch with Scotland.

“I am not a nationalist...” That might seem a slightly odd way to introduce yourself to a sea of Saltires.

But that is what the former Labour MP and MSP Dennis Canavan did in Edinburgh on Saturday when he spoke to thousands of people at the march and rally for Scottish independence.

Dennis explained: “I am a convert (to independence) and my conversion is not based on emotion, it is based on experience.

“I served a sentence of 26 years at Westminster and then eight years in the Scottish Parliament.

“I came to the conclusion that Westminster is completely out of touch with Scotland, while the Scottish Parliament responds more readily to the values, aspirations and needs of the people of Scotland.”

Dennis, who is convenor of the cross-party Yes Scotland campaign, pointed out that the Scottish Parliament had shown itself to be much fairer than Westminster in the areas it controls – introducing free care for the elderly, abolishing tuition fees for students and reforming the land laws.

He then asked: “If the Scottish Parliament and Government is capable of running the education service and health service, why should it not be responsible for deciding whether we have nuclear weapons or get involved in illegal wars?”

Dennis said he was an internationalist – he wanted to maintain good relations with our neighbours in England – but as equal partners.

He shares that belief with the thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds who took to the streets on Saturday.

It was a big, colourful, inspirational statement about the next step on our nation’s journey. I stood in the audience with my daughters and felt that we had turned a corner in that journey.

The SNP do not walk alone. We are being joined by others from all parties and none.

The most moving contributions on Saturday came from traditional Scottish Labour Party supporters frustrated by the party leadership’s decision to join the Tories in the No campaign.

As well as Dennis, we heard Allan Grogan of Labour Voters for Independence. He said: “I have always been a Labour supporter.

“At eight years old I was handing out fliers at the polling station at the ’92 election – and sharing my dad’s grief at five more years of the Tories.”

Allan sees no contradiction in supporting Labour and also wanting Scotland to be a normal, independent country.

He told the crowd: “I’ve met people who used to vote for Labour but don’t any more. One because they want independence, two as they feel let down and betrayed by a party who no longer represent them or the people of Scotland.

“If Johann Lamont really feels that the way to win these people back is to jump into bed with the Tories in the No campaign, then she doesn’t know the Scottish people at all.”

Shortly after Allan spoke, Ruth Wishart, the journalist and broadcaster, stepped up to the microphone. Ruth was close to some of the giants of the Scottish Labour Party.

However, she often wrote of her disappointment in the governments of Blair and Brown.

On Saturday she argued that devolution has “brought into sharp focus” the political differences between Scotland and England.

She spoke of her frustration at the welfare reforms, ordered by London to deprive the most vulnerable of benefits, and which the Scottish Parliament has no power to stop.

She spoke of laws made in London designed to make it easier to sack people.

She spoke of living near Coulport, in the shadow of Trident, and how she, like 80 per cent of Scots, want these weapons of mass destruction removed from Scottish soil.

Only independence will give us that power. Ruth caught the sense of occasion and history.

“I don’t want to us to lose this historic opportunity for our country and our children,” she told the watching crowd.

She also had a warning – do not believe those who say Scotland will be given more power if we vote no.

Ruth remembers 1979, when people were told exactly this and instead of “something better” got Margaret Thatcher and the end to our industries.

It’s a pity today’s Labour leaders do not, like those in the past, heed Ruth’s wise words.